Change is Inevitable
by TruePlainHearts
Summary: Things have between changing between Walter and Paige ever since his accident and not even Walter can ignore them anymore. Fluffy and domestic with heart.
1. Chapter 1

Prompt by Fontiptoes:

Would it be wrong to just ask you for just 'anything-Waige-smut'? There's not nearly enough of that on the internet. If you'd want something more specific I'd love something cute, fluffy and a little domestic maybe? :)

I decided to go with fluffy and domestic that becomes smutty because why not have all the nice things? This was going to be a one-shot but these things tend to have a mind of their own. Also, the story is currently rated T but it will change later with the last chapter or two. As always please read and review. I love to hear from you!

* * *

It was just another Friday morning when Paige walked into the garage with Ralph in tow. In the two months since Walter's accident, things had slowly returned to normal but at the same time, it was the little things that weren't quite the same. Walter and Paige had come to the unspoken conclusion that Ralph was better off inolved with Scorpion and although Paige had been right to worry over his safety, she had underestimated the geniuses. They had all been too caught up the case to really stop to think about the position Ralph had been in but as soon as Paige had made things clearer for them, they had all rallied behind her. She knew they all would stand with her between Ralph and anything that might harm him and she knew that she should never have questioned that. They all loved Ralph, and they were what was best for him. Just as she also knew that Scorpion was her home too and she could never have left.

Ralph had insisted that he wanted to finish one thing or another with Walter before school and Paige had enough course study to catch up on that she let her son drag her out of bed 45 minutes before her alarm was due to go off. Later, at a more reasonable hour once she had actually woken up, Paige might pause to consider just how unusual it was for her to not have to drag her young son out of bed on a school morning. For now though, her only thoughts consisted of coffee and how quickly she could get her hands on some.

As if answering all her prayers, Walter greeted her with a fresh mug of steaming coffee. She all but groaned when she detected the wafting scent of cinnamon in the air.

"Thank you, Walter." She said with a genuine smile, taking the mug from him and taking a sip. "You know, if I didn't know any better I'd say you and Ralph planned this. What is it with geniuses and their aversion to sleep?"

Walter only smiled sheepishly as he shot a glance over to where Ralph had already started tinkering with the rocket component they had been working on the day before.

"Fine, just make sure he doesn't get covered in grease before school." Paige said with a exaggerated eye roll as she crossed over to her desk to do as much study as possible before her work day officially started. She was surprised to find a brown paper bag resting on her desk and one glance at the "Kovelsky's" logo on the side told her exactly what would be inside; her favourite fresh bagels from the place on the corner.

"You're forgiven!" Paige called at Walter from across the garage and she could have sworn she heard a chuckle from the work bench.

Time passed in companiable silence until Sylvester, Happy and Toby all turned up for work. Walter looked up at the clock and realised that it was regrettably time to take Ralph to school. As much as he would rather work on parts with the boy all day, he had recently learned better than ever that his position in Ralph's life was becoming more parental, than friend. It was a role that Walter valued more than anything else in his life and he would never willingly put it in jeopardy again.

"Time for school, buddy." Walter told Ralph and couldn't help but smile when Ralph groaned and started to argue.

"I know Ralph, but you have to." Walter said, taking the boys shoulder and steering him towards his backpack. "Besides, I have something planned for after school."

"Okay, Walter." Ralph said brightly, forgetting about how much he didn't want to go to school in his excitement about the plans Walter had hinted at. He rushed off to grab his things and say goodbye to the rest of the team. Walter felt momentarily guilty that he hadn't cleared the plans with Paige first but he hope she would be on board so he didn't have to disappoint Ralph. As the boy quickly rushed over to grab his bag, Walter walked over to Paige. She seemed to be frantically searching her desk for something.

"Lost something?" Walter asked as he came up to her desk.

"Uhhh… yeah my Poli Sci textbook. I thought I left it here because it isn't at home." Paige replied distractedly, her brow furrowing as she continued her search. As he hand brushed against her phone, the clock popped up on the display and she realised just how much she had lost track of time.

"Oh my god. Is that the time? I have to get Ralph to school and I still have to sent an email my Professor and find that stupid book!" Paige groaned as she frantically started looking for her purse and coat.

"Paige… Paige." Walter caught her arm and made her pause from her stress wirlwind. He was so impressed at all the things she managed to juggle while being an amazing mother and liaison for the team. It was clear though that things were starting to pile up for her and he suddenly felt bad for allowing Ralph to drag her out of bed early.

"I'll take Ralph to school." Walter offered, giving Paige's arm a reassuring squeeze. "You can stay here and finish what you need to and we can start work when I get back, okay?"

"Thank you." Paige said with a relieved sigh, quickly digging out her car keys from beneath a stack of journal articles. "Here take my car."

"It's okay." Walter assured with a smile.

"Also, sorry I didn't clear it with you earlier but there is an astronomical event tonight and I had planned to show Ralph how to photograph it. I was talking to him and I let it slip before I asked you." Walter explained in a rush. The last thing he wanted to do was stress Paige out more. "I can take care of everything and you can even get some more study done while I watch Ralph."

"Walter it's okay. You should have asked first but I'm sure Ralph would love it and I need a night off. Why don't we all have a grill like the night he first got his telescope?" Paige suggested.

"Sounds great." Walter said with almost the same level of excitement as Ralph had.

Ralph quickly returned with his over-sized backpack that seemed to engulf him as ran up to Walter and his mother.

"Were you telling mom about what we are doing after school?" Ralph beamed. "What are we doing?"

Walter and Paige exchanged an amused look at Ralph's eagerness.

"I think Walter wants to keep it a surprise." Paige explained as she readjusted the collar of Ralph's shirt that was caught in the strap of his backpack. "But I promise it will be worth the wait."

"Scoop?" Ralph asked as he pulled away from his fussing mother, drawing the line when she tried to fix his hair.

"Scoop." Walter replied with a laugh. "Come on, I'm taking you to school today while your mom finishes a few things."

"Bye honey." Paige said as she knelt down to kiss Ralph's cheek.

"By mom." Ralph said as he took of in tow of Walter and they chattered about whatever theory they had been working on, all of which sounded like another language to Paige.

* * *

As Walter pulled up at Ralph's school he parked so he could walk him all the way to the front door. Walter knew Paige liked to make sure he was safely delivered to the school and Walter had grown just as protective. Walter helped grab Ralph's backpack from the back seat and as he did, he spotted the top of a textbook poking out from beneath the seat. He chucked as he pulled it out and saw the title, "The Political History of NATO". He was willing to bet it was the textbook Paige had been frantically searching for, so he put it on the front seat and made a note to return it to her when he got back to the garage.

"Come on, Ralph." Walter said as he locked the car and started walking the boy to the entrance of the school.

As they walked, Walter noticed Ralph dragging his feet a little more. Obviously Ralph had been reminded of the reality of having to go to school for the rest of the day. As they neared the entrance, Walter stopped Ralph to try to encourage him even though it certainly wasn't his most developed skill set.

"Look Ralph, I know school can be difficult." Walter began, crouching down to Ralph's level. "But it is important for you to go. I know you think there isn't much you can learn here and you might be right intellectually but school is important for other reasons too."

"I thought people go to school to learn." Ralph pouted. "What is the point of I already know it and they always try to tell me that I'm wrong?"

"There is more to learn than just math and science." Walter said and couldn't help but reflect on how a mere year ago, those words would never have passed his lips. "It's something I've only just learned myself since you and your mom joined Scorpion, but the ability to be around people and meaningfully interact with them is important too. I know Toby, Happy, Sylvester and I always talk about how social skills are irrelevant but we were wrong. They are important and they can be learned, just like any other skill. That is why you have to go to school. Do you understand?"

Ralph paused for a moment to consider and eventually nodded his head.

"Like you talk to mom more than when we first joined Scorpion and now you are happier, right?" Ralph asked innocently and Walter couldn't help but smile. He wasn't the only one whose EQ had grown exponentially and he couldn't help but be proud of Ralph for making an observation he never would have noticed when they first met.

"Exactly." Walter said with a beaming smile as he ruffled Ralph's hair. "Also, I have something for you."

Walter quickly reached into his pocket and dug out the small piece of paper he had written a particularly complex equation on before Ralph and Paige had arrived that morning.

"You have to promise though that you will only start on it after you have your lunch with the new friends you have been telling your mum about. Deal?" Walter asked, making sure he didn't undo all the progress Ralph had made with his EQ but also knowing that a 30 minute lunch break was a long time to keep a genius mind occupied.

"Deal." Ralph said, taking the equation and putting it in his own pocket. "See you after school, Walter."

"See ya." Walter replied and he stood to watch Ralph walk safely inside the building.


	2. Chapter 2

Walter quickly returned to the garage and made sure to pick up Paige's long-lost textbook on his way in. Considering it was a Friday and they had just finished a big case, everyone was working on their own projects. Toby was writing a paper on one of their more recent and psychologically driven cases with the hopes of publication while Happy was working on her truck. Sylvester was midway through building an algorithm and he had been so immersed in it for the last three days they basically had to forcibly interrupt him to make sure he ate and went home to sleep. Paige seemed to have finished her immediately pressing study and was starting to catch up on the multiple piles of paperwork accumulating on her desk. She was so immersed that she didn't even hear Walter return. He quietly walked across to her desk and gently set down the textbook and car keys on her desk.

"You found it!" Paige exclaimed when it crossed into her focused line of vision. "Where was it?"

"I just saw it poking out from beneath the seat when I dropped Ralph off." Walter shrugged. "No big deal."

"It is a huge deal! I have a pop quiz on Monday night on the first 3 chapters. Thank you so much, Walter." Paige gushed as she reached out to grab Walter's hand as though it might convey her gratitude more tangibly.

"No problem." Walter replied as his body froze infinitesimally beneath her touch. When Paige retracted her hand Walter crossed to his own desk so he could spend the rest of the day finishing a private security software contract.

As he became absorbed in his work, Paige stole a glance around her computer monitor at Walter. Paige was't a fool, nor was she in denial; she had noticed the subtle ways her relationship with Walter had begun to change since the accident. Not only had she been subconsciously finding more reasons to touch him or be in his proximity but she noticed the changes in Walter's behaviour. Of course they were less tactile, but he had constantly gone out of his way to do little things for her that didn't attract too much attention on their own but as a whole showed that he was being particularly considerate of her and the things she liked. Often times, Paige couldn't even remember mentioning that she liked the bagels from Kovelsky's or that she preferred her coffee with cinnamon and yet, Walter knew. Walter had always been observant, she supposed, but it was clear that people didn't give his EQ enough credit, least of all himself. Paige let her thoughts about Walter drift to the back of her mind so she could tackle the mountain of work before her but she knew, more acutely than ever, that a more substantial change might be coming and surprisingly that thought didn't scare her. Quite the opposite actually. She couldn't help the soft giggle that escaped her lips when she thought about how it would probably terrify Walter but she had faith in him.

Everyone in the garage continued working on their independent projects well into the day and it was one o'clock before Paige surfaced from her mind numbing forms and records. She had always been very strict about everyone breaking for lunch, at least while she was in the garage to police it and make sure her fellow Scorpion team members actually ate decent food.

"Time for lunch." Paige announced. "Everyone is taking a break in ten minutes whether they like it or not."

Paige rose from her chair and walked towards the small downstairs kitchen. She had taken to making lunch for the team on the quiet days they spent in the garage, not because she felt she had to but because she liked to. It gave her a welcome break from filing and paper work and it ensured that everyone ate something more nutritious than a quick snack grabbed from the fridge on they way back to their work stations.

"I'm done so I'll help." Walter offered, following Paige into the kitchen.

They wordlessly set about making turkey and cranberry baguettes, another healthier fare that Paige had insisted upon. They worked in perfect tandem as Walter retrieved the bread, turkey and condiments and Paige set about slicing the salads.

"Oh Walter,…" Paige began as she saw him open the margarine.

"No margarine on yours, I know." Walter mimicked with a smile and Paige couldn't help but smile back.

"Of course you do." Paige joked as she thought back to her own little internal monologue this morning.

They continued working in silence and in close proximity and Paige called in the team to collect their food and even though she couldn't force them to sit at the table like children, she was happy when Walter sat across from her to eat lunch.

"Thanks again for taking Ralph to school." Paige said conversationally over her lunch.

"Any time." Walter assured. "He didn't seem so keen to go though."

"Yeah he has been getting better but he still doesn't like going." Paige mused. "Then again, what kid does?"

"Astute observation." Walter chuckled. "Although I have recently begun to see things differently and started to observe the potential benefits of being in a school that I had missed while I was experiencing it."

"How's that?" Paige asked, curious about exactly what he was talking about.

"Well I hated school because I saw it as pointless. There was nothing that teachers could have taught me that I didn't already know or couldn't figure out for myself which just made me frustrated the same way I think it frustrates Ralph." Walter tried to explain things in a way that might make sense. "It isn't until recently, how I have seen myself improve being around you and Ralph, that I realised I missed the social learning school provides. I see now why you want to keep Ralph involved in those things."

Paige couldn't help but stare at Walter. She knew he had opened up so much in the time she and Ralph had known him but the man sitting in front of her was totally different from the one she first met though not in the ways that really mattered. He had always been Walter and she had appreciated him for all his quirks but the way Walter had become less guarded with the feelings he once denied even having was remarkable.

"Wow, Walter." Paige muttered to herself. "That's very evolved of you."

Walter couldn't help but laugh.

"Well I tried to help Ralph understand but I'm not sure how effective I was." Walter shrugged as he gathered their plates to return them to the kitchen.

"Thank you, Walter. I really appreciate it." Paige urged as she helped clear things away. "Do you mind me asking how you explained things to him?"

"Oh um, no. I mean it... it's nothing I haven't already told you before." Walter began awkwardly.

"It's okay if you don't want to, Walter. It can just be between you and Ralph." Paige reassured, not wanting to make him feel awkward.

"No, it's okay. Like I said, I've already told you in a way." Walter reassured with a nervous sigh to steel his resolve. "I just told him about how schools don't just teach math and science, but also EQ. I explained to Ralph how I have become much happier and better adjusted since expanding my own EQ, thanks to you and Ralph even though I missed my chance when I was his age."

"Walter." Paige murmured softly with shining eyes as she placed her hand on Walter's arm once more.

They stood together for an amount of time that even Walter lost track of.

Their moment was quickly interrupted though when Toby walked in to return his own plate to the sink and he paused with narrowed eyes when he saw how close they had been standing before they jumped apart.

"Am I interrupting something?" Toby asked in that probing voice Walter was sure had it's own dedicated course at shrink-school.

"No." Paige said quickly while Walter replied with a scoffing "Of course not." With the moment gone, they both returned to the respective desks to work, leaving a very nosy Toby to ponder his various theories.

* * *

The afternoon went by quite quickly and before too long it was time for Paige to pick Ralph up from school.

"So I'm going to pick up Ralph and get a few things for the grill tonight." Paige announced as she gathered her things. "You are all coming right."

She head three different affirmative variations from Happy, Toby and Sylvester and made a mental note to get enough food at the grocery store.

"Okay great." Paige said happily, making her way towards the door.

"Wait, Paige." Walter called, raising from his own desk. "I'll come with you."

"Oh, sure." Paige said with a smile as she waited for him to catch up. She tried her best to ignore Toby's raised eyebrow as they both exited the garage.

They drove in comfortable silence to Ralph's school and both walked from the parked car to pick him up from inside. Since taking on a more dangerous job, Paige had insisted that Ralph should wait inside the school every afternoon for her to collect him, just to be safe. The school had been more than accommodating and the teachers had been well informed on the situation and instructed to only release him to Paige, unless she called ahead of time.

They walked up and the small blonde woman who fulfilled every sunny stereotype of a primary school teacher smiled warmly at Paige and Walter.

"Ralph honey, your mom is here to pick you up." The teacher called to Ralph to raise his attention from the Super Fun Guy comic he was reading. He quickly gathered his things and ran over to them.

"Thanks, Wendy." Paige smiled at the teacher. "Actually while I'm here it would be a good time to introduce you to Walter."

Walter was completely confused as to why he needed to be introduced to Ralph's teacher but he offered the typical greeting and handshake he had learned was socially necessary.

"It's nice to meet you, Walter." Wendy said genuinely but it was clear curisoity was getting the better of her in trying to determine exactly who he was to Paige and Ralph.

"I was going to call the school on Monday to organise an expansion to our pick up routine to allow Walter to collect Ralph if I'm indisposed for any reason."

"Oh, of course." Wendy said while Walter was still a little dumbstruck at the new level of authority he had been given in Ralph's life. "Well I guess I will be seeing you again, Walter."

"So it would seem." Walter tried the return her friendliness as much as he was able. "Have a nice afternoon."

Paige said her goodbyes and she, Walter and Ralph made their way towards the car.

"How was your day, sweetheart?" Paige asked Ralph as Walter took Ralph's oversized bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"It was actually good, Mom." Ralph replied with unexpected enthusiasm. "Walter was right, it was nice having lunch with some people from my class."

"Was he now?" Paige asked as she raised an eyebrow at the man in question. She would definitely have to get more details on exactly how Walter had convinced Ralph of the value of school.

"I talked to Jake about the new bike he got for his birthday and solved the equation Walter gave to me." Ralph chattered excitedly as he pulled the piece of paper Walter had given him that morning with the solved answer on it.

"That's perfect, Ralph. Well done." Walter said after quickly checking Ralph's answer.

"Best of both worlds, huh?" Paige remarked pointedly at Walter as they reached the car and all piled in.

"Well that would be the most efficient solution." Walter joked as he got into the passenger seat and they all laughed together.

Paige felt oddly liberated with the new dynamic between them and it gave her a thrill to think that just maybe, things could be like this more often. She and Walter were definitely overdue for a conversation. Maybe tonight would afford them the chance to sit down and really figure out where they stood.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry it has taken me so long to update guys. I had two chapters written and ready to post ages ago but somehow they got deleted which really bummed me out and made me loose motivation for this story. In any case I'm back now and trying to decide whether I want to give this story a slightly more sexy ending. Let me know what you think!

* * *

Paige drove to the grocery store with Walter riding shotgun and Ralph chatting from the backseat. There was an easy comfort to all of it and she looked over more than once to see Walter smiling softly. Paige had appreciated the relationship the three of them had shared from the moment Walter revealed the truth about her son but this new familiarity and family intimacy was even better.

As they pulled up at the grocery store to pick up everything they needed for the grill, they all piled out of Paige's chevy and headed for the entrance. Paige watched amusedly as Walter pulled a grocery cart from the bay.

"What?" Walter asked when he noticed Paige grinning at him.

"Oh nothing." Paige smirked. "I just think I like this domestic Walter."

Walter scoffed but she could see a grin even as he rolled his eyes at her.

"Paige I am capable of caring for myself and that involves grocery shopping." Walter pointed out. "Contrary to what you seem to think, I didn't subsist solely on Pizza and Mountain Dew before you came along."

"Keep telling yourself that, 197." Paige teased back. "The styrofoam temple I saw in your fridge on my first day tells me otherwise."

They both laughed softly and Walter was forced to admit to himself that Paige did have a point. They began slowly walking through the isles as Paige mostly grabbed things. She laughed to herself a little when she noticed Walter and Ralph following from behind the trolley with the exact same bored and disinterested look on their faces.

Of course, Ralph perked up considerably in the frozen food isle. The child was absolutely obsessed with ice cream and Paige knew from experience that he couldn't walk past the tubs of ice-cream without asking if he could get some and unleashing the typical, yet effective puppy dog eyes. He asked for more times that Paige could say yes to in good conscience, trying to ensure her son had a nutritious and balanced diet. It seemed though, that Ralph had identified an easier battle.

"Hey Walter, could we get some ice-cream to have tonight?" Ralph asked innocently but Paige knew better. She watched the exchange with an amused grin.

"Sure buddy." Walter immediately answered, walking over to the glass doors to survey the options. "What flavour would you like? I'm partial to mint chip."

"Mint chip sounds good." Ralph answered and Walter immediately grabbed it off the shelf and he was about to put it in the cart when he saw Paige's smirk.

"What?" Walter asked for the second time.

"You're such easy mark." Paige laughed as Ralph looked sheepish. "Put it in the cart, come on."

Walter and Ralph did as they were told, even if Walter was still a little confused. His first unconscious instinct to spoil Ralph with anything he could reasonably provide and while potentially damaging, it was too endearing for Paige to really put a stop to.

They finished grabbing everything, checked out and were soon headed back to the garage. Walter carried in the groceries as Ralph bounded along beside him talking excitedly about whatever it was they planned to do with telescopes. Paige just followed along, smiling at her son's boundless enthusiasm for anything astronomical even if she didn't understand it.

"So is there any point in me asking exactly what is so special about tonight or should I file it under genius stuff?" Paige asked with a laugh as she and Walter put away the groceries while Ralph ran off in the direction of the telescopes.

"Well it isn't actually very complicated." Walter assured her.

"Why don't I believe you?" Paige joked. She was very used to feeling out of her depth when it came to the things Walter and Ralph talked about but she did her best to show interest.

"It isn't I promise." Walter continued. "Tonight Saturn will be at opposition so it's the best time to photograph it."

"Opposition?" Paige asked.

"It just means that Earth is directly between Saturn and the Sun, which illuminates the face of Saturn better than any other time." Walter explained.

"Like headlights on a highway road sign." Paige added.

"Exactly." Walter added with a smile.

"That doesn't seem so complicated." Paige mused to herself, surprised by how simple it actually was.

They both failed to notice that they had finished putting away the groceries and were now standing closer to each other than normal.

"You know…" Walter said softly. "Most scientific principles might seem complicated and impenetrable at first but they just take a little patience."

Paige was left wondering if they were still actually talking about science as they got caught in a moment that lasted a little longer than usual. Before either one of them could really process, Toby walked into the kitchen and paused with narrow eyes as they both stepped back from each other unconsciously, the moment broken.

"Am I interrupting something?" Toby asked with a probing tone and a raised eyebrow.

"Of course not." Paige answered in a tone that was at least half an octave higher than her normal voice while Walter simply responded with a stoic "No." and left the kitchen in search of Ralph.

"Suuuuurrreee." Toby said, still suspicious but obviously more concerned by his need for coffee. He let Paige off the hook and walked over the the coffee pot.

"Ugh, I feel like a Christmas Elf." Toby grunted as he took a sip but still he took another and walked back to his desk with his unsatisfactory coffee in hand.

"Cinnamon is good for you, Toby!" Paige teased his retreating back.

"So is yoga but you don't see me bending like a pretzel." Toby mumbled to himself as Paige couldn't help but laugh.

She was thankful he had resorted to his usual witty banter instead of probing too deeply into what he had walked in on. Paige barely knew what had held her in the moment herself so she would hazard a guess that Walter wouldn't take to well to being grilled about it. One thing was for sure; things were changing and Paige had to admit that it was kind of thrilling.

She went to check on Ralph on her way back to her desk and found he and Walter fiddling with telescopes and cameras. Happy seemed to be building some kind of mount for them and it all looked very complicated so Paige left them to it and decided to get some study done while she could.

The afternoon passed in companionable silence as everyone was working on their own things and when Paige saw the retreating light through the window she decided it was time to get started on the grill. She packed up all her textbooks, after all she had earned at least a one night break.

Paige got started preparing the dips and salads after a while Slyvester poked his head into the kitchen to ask if she needed help. Paige was pretty sure it was just a pretence to check on the hygiene of his food preparation but Paige put him to work anyway, handing him a bunch of plates and condiments to take up to roof.

Happy and Toby came in to help too and Paige gave Happy grilling rights, handing her the burgers.

"Since we would rather not set things on fire, how about you take care of the grilling Happy?" Paige said with a teasing grin, sharing a laugh with Happy.

"Miss Dineen! You wound me." Toby said clutching his hand to his chest in mock pain.

"You're a messer, Doc." Happy laughed as she starting carrying the burgers up to the roof.

"But messy can be fun." Toby countered in a suggestive tone as he followed after her.

Paige laughed at them both and thought that surely she and Walter had a better chance of figuring out where they stood, especially compared to the crazy whirlwind that was Happy and Toby.

"Mom, we're heading taking the telescope up to the roof." Ralph called from the stairs.

"Be right there, Honey." Paige answered as she gathered the last few things they'd need for the grill and made her way up to the roof with the others.

When she got there she saw Happy at the grill, trying to act annoyed as Toby flirted with her but even Paige could see her amused smirk. Ralph and Walter were setting up the telescope and attaching the camera so they could take photos as Sylvester helped them set the telescope to the perfect alignment for where Saturn would appear once the sun set.

Since it would be another hour or so before the sun set properly and they were able to see Saturn, Ralph and Sylvester started a few rounds of chess while Walter walked over to help Paige.

"Need me to do anything?" Walter asked.

"Nope, all done." Paige answered with a smile. "Thanks for doing this for him, Walter."

"It's my pleasure." Walter answered quickly.

"I just want you to know I really appreciate it. There was a time when he barely said a word to anyone, let a alone chatting excitedly about things. I couldn't help him with that but I'm glad you could."

"You help him in other ways, Paige." Walter assured her, surpassing Paige with a soft touch to her arm. "More than you know. You are better at dealing with geniuses than you give yourself credit for."

"How about we call it a team effort?" Paige suggested.

"Deal." Walter agreed.

Paige looked at Walter and thought of all the things he had been able to do for Ralph that she couldn't and more than every she was glad she didn't have to do all this alone anymore. She loved her son and she would have always done everything in her power to provide for him on her own but it was nice for her to have help, especially the genius kind.

"Grubb's up." Happy shouted as she put the burgers down on the table.

Paige and Walter shared one last look before the went to sit with everyone else at the table. They fell into a typical family rhythm of reaching for plates, passing condiments and comfortable chatter. It was times like this that Scorpion felt more like a family than any of them thought possible.

As their dinner came to an end Sylvester and Toby offered to clean up while Happy went back downstairs to work on her bike. Paige, Walter and Ralph were left on the roof. Walter was showing an eager Ralph how the digital camera attached to the telescope worked.

"Mom, come look at this." Ralph said, dragging Paige over to the telescope.

"Okay, Ralph. I'm coming." Paige laughed as her tiny ten year old actually dragged her over. She shared a joking eye roll from Walter who only laughed in return. Walter didn't often laugh and smile so openly and Paige couldn't help but think what a shame that was.

"What exactly am I looking at?" Paige asked as she lowered her face to the viewer. She squinted awkwardly and tried to find something vaguely Saturn-like.

"Oh, wow!" Paige exclaimed as she saw what was unmistakably Saturn, rings and all. "It's beautiful."

Paige looked up and grinned at Ralph and Walter.

"Yeah it is." Walter agreed though he wasn't looking at the stars.

About an hour and a million digital photos of Saturn later, Ralph started looking very sleepy. Paige suggested that he might want to lay down on the couch in the garage and he begrudgingly agreed.

"Thanks Walter." Ralph said on his way to the access door. "Goodnight."

"Night, buddy." Walter replied.

Paige quickly gathered the last of the things from the grill and took them down to the kitchen. When she peaked in, Ralph was already sound asleep on the leather couch.

Walter was finishing packing up the telescope on the roof when Paige returned.

"He's already fast asleep." Paige laughed as she walked over to help. "I think you tired him out."

"Well his enthusiasm was bound to catch up with him." Walter grinned.

"Thank you again, Walter." Paige said sincerely. "He really loved it."

"Like I said, It's my pleasure." Walter replied. "I like doing things for him."

"I know you do and I'm so happy that you do." Paige said, taking a step closer. "For the longest time it was just the two of us and me trying desperately to connect with him. I don't know where we would be if it hadn't been for that one day in the diner."

"I guess it changed a lot of things for all of us." Walter admitted.

"For the better?" Paige asked with a raised eyebrow and a grin.

"Definitely." Walter answered, his tone soft and sincere.

The moment between them dragged on but neither of them moved.

"Walter, I…" Paige began at the same time Walter said her name, as though he was about to make some sort of big admission.

They both laughed at the awkwardness but somehow it wasn't all that uncomfortable.

"Walter, things are changing between us." Paige began. "Do you want them to."

"Yes." Walter breathed. "But at the same time, no."

Paige's smile faltered for a moment as she was second guessing whether all of this had been one big horrible idea.

"Not like that, Paige!" Walter quickly assured, grabbing her hand as she moved to back away. "I'm sorry, I'm no good at this."

Walter was suddenly nervous and unable to slow his frantic thoughts enough to string them together into sentences.

"Walter, relax." Paige said softly, lacing her hands around his as he wrung them together nervously. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. Please just talk to me."

Walter met her reassuring smile and took a deep breath to steady his thoughts and heart rate.

"Since I met you and Ralph, I have been so much happier. I've wanted things I never even thought about." Walter said, gripping Paige's hand tighter like a lifeline. "I know I'm not his father, but I've never been so happy helping Ralph and getting to know him, and you. I don't want to overstep and I don't want to loose anything that I already have."

"I understand, Walter." Paige said softly, steeling herself and fully expecting to be told that they should keep things the way they were.

"But I want more, Paige." Walter said, hesitantly moving his hand to rest on her cheek as she looked up at him with wide-eyed surprise. "I know it's greedy and I have no right, but I want…"

Walter big speech was cut of when Paige pulled him down by his tie to crash her lips to his. The surprise made him freeze but he was soon swept away as Paige threaded her long delicate finger through his curls.

Paige hummed softly as Walter got over the shock of the kiss and wound firm hands around her back, gripping her close. Paige grinned against his lips as she pushed him back against the brick wall behind them. She was rewarded with a soft groan that made her giggle. She quickly decided that a great deal of her time and energy from now on would be committed to making Walter, a man so in-control and insistent he had no feelings, loose control completely.

Finally Paige pulled away, smiling at Walter's groan of protest.

"I want all those things too, Walter." Paige said softly, her hands still threaded through his curls. "And as much as I want them right now, my son is asleep downstairs."

"You're right, I'm sorry." Walter said, brushing a stray smudge of lipstick from the corner of Paige's mouth with a soft touch that took her breath away.

"I kissed you remember, and I'm anything but sorry." Paige grinned as she ran her hands down his chest to grip his waist. "But right now I need to get Ralph home."

"Have dinner with me tomorrow night." Walter blurted out without his usual careful forethought and planning.

Paige smiled widely at him.

"But we had dinner together tonight." Paige said with grin, teasing Walter.

"Is there a limit?" Walter asked. "Besides I was hoping it would just be you and me."

"I was teasing you, Walter." Paige laughed. "Of course I'll have dinner with you, as many times as you ask."

Walter answered her with the widest smile she'd ever seen on his face. He looked so happy she simply had to kiss him again. She was already enjoying the freedom to kiss him when she wanted, instead of just wishing she could.

"I'll pick you up at 7?" Walter asked, still processing the fact that he actually had a date with Paige. Not an undercover date or a dinner disguised as a business meeting; and actual date.

"I can't wait." Paige said with a smile and one final kiss before she took his hand and led him downstairs so they could gather Ralph and his things into the car.

Paige quickly grabbed her bag and her textbooks, she tried to balance them on each shoulder so she could carry Ralph.

"Don't worry I've got him." Walter said softly.

Paige watched as Walter picked Ralph up as delicately as she would cradle him herself.

Paige led the way, opening the back door of her car so Walter could put him in the seat and fasten the seat belt. He quietly shut the door, though he needn't have bothered. Paige knew better than anyone that her son slept like the dead.

"So, um… I'll see you tomorrow night?" Walter asked to confirm their plans.

"I hope so." Paige answered with a smile, hugging her hands around his shoulders as Walter stepped closer.

Walter's hands came to rest on Paige's waist as his eyes flickered down to his lips. He softly kissed her on last time.

"Goodnight, Paige."

"Goodnight." Paige replied and got into the car as Walter held the door.

With one last happy smile, she started the car and drove home.

The whole way back to her condo, Paige couldn't keep the smile off her face. It was like she floated home on a happy cloud and she even caught herself humming along to the cheesy songs not he radio. She knew it was cliched but she didn't care. When she got home she carried Ralph up and put him to bed and he barely stirred.

Paige got ready for bed, singing as she showered and rubbed her lavender scented lotion into her skin. It took forever for her to fall asleep but eventually, in the wee hours of the morning, Paige finally fell asleep still with her smile firmly in place.


	4. Chapter 4

When Paige woke, she was just as happy and quickly got up and started making pancakes for breakfast.

Ralph eventually shuffled into the kitchen, no doubt summoned by the smell of cooking pancakes.

"Good morning, honey. How did you sleep?" Paige asked as she flipped a pancake when it started to bubble.

"Okay. Yesterday was more tiring than I anticipated." Ralph mused.

"Oh, I could tell." Paige laughed. "How about you take a seat. Breakfast will be ready in a minute. OJ?"

"Yes, please." Paige answered and Paige grabbed the carton out of the fridge to fill his glass.

"Hey, Mom?" Ralph asked.

"Yeah, honey." Paige answered, waiting for Ralph to ask his question as she poured his orange juice.

"Why did Walter kiss you last night?"

Paige cried out as she sent orange juice spilling across the breakfast counter. She took a deep breath as she started cleaning up the mess and theorising how she would explain everything to Ralph.

"Sorry honey, we thought you were asleep." Paige told Ralph as she momentarily distracted herself by serving him some pancakes and another glass of orange juice.

"I was but I woke up when Walter put me in the car." Ralph explained with a shrug.

"I know it might be a little bit different and hard to understand but things are going to change a little bit between Walter and I." Paige began.

"Will we still go over to the garage?" Ralph asked with a worried tone.

"Of course we would." Paige reassured Ralph, brushing his hair out of his face as he began eating his pancakes. "We might even be spending more time over there. Or Walter might come here more."

"Cool." Ralph said through a mouthful of breakfast.

"So you would be okay if Walter and I went to dinner together tonight?" Paige asked.

"Can I come?" Ralph asked hopefully.

"We were kind of just thinking it would be us." Paige said, feeling horribly for excluding him. "Sometimes adults go out together to get to know each other better."

"Like a date?" Ralph asked simply.

Paige was a bit surprised that Ralph knew anything about dating. She had never really dated anyone seriously since his father.

"Well yeah, actually." Paige answered.

"Oh, okay." Ralph said and went back to eating his pancakes.

Paige watched, surprised as Ralph completely accept things and didn't even ask any more questions.

"So you are okay with Walter and I going on a date?" Paige asked, a bit disconcerted by her son's easy acceptance.

"Sure. I mean Walter looks at you the same way Billy's dad looks at his mom and they go on dates." Ralph shrugged as though it was the most obvious correlation in the world.

After Paige had her own breakfast, which mostly consisted of chewing idly while she was deep in thought, she finished cleaning up the mess she had made in the kitchen. Afterwards, she decided to call her regular sitter to watch Ralph that night instead of asking one of her colleagues. As much as she trusted them with Ralph whole heatedly, she kind of wanted to keep whatever was just starting between her and Walter between them, at least for know. Besides, she wasn't sure she was ready to endure Toby's smug grin and probing interrogations about her personal life just yet.

Luckily her sitter was available and they quickly organised for her to come over a 6:30 and hung up the phone. Paige was left staring at her recently called list when she hung up and grinned when she saw Walter's name more than any other on her caller history. Without overthinking it, she quickly hit the dial button.

"Paige?" Walter answered after only two rings.

"Hi." Paige answered back.

"Is something wrong?" Walter asked, worried that maybe she had called to cancel.

"No of course not, I just felt like calling you." Paige said quickly, smiling to herself about how strange simply calling to hear his voice seemed to Walter.

"Oh." Walter said with a relieved sigh.

"Relax, Walter." Paige reassured him. "I'm still very much looking forward to tonight."

"Me too." Walter said, smiling at the fact that Paige seemed so eager for their date.

"I organised Ralph's sitter to come over tonight." Paige explained. "I would have called Happy or Toby but I kind thought we might want to keep things to ourselves for a while."

"Good idea." Walter agreed. "The longer we can keep Toby out of our relationship, the better."

"Our relationship, huh?" Paige asked, liking the way the words rolled of her tounge but only half as much as when Walter had said them.

"I thought that was what we were beginning." Walter started stammering. "I'm not trying to be presumptuous… and of course if you would rather we didn't think of it that way…"

"Walter." Paige cut of his back peddling. "I like the sounds of 'our relationship', that's all."

"Oh." Walter said softly. "Me too."

"So, I um…" Paige began, knowing she should probably tell Walter about Ralph's big question over breakfast that morning. "Ralph kind of saw you kiss me last night."

"I'm so sorry, Paige. I thought he was asleep." Walter rushed out, feeling like he had put her in an awkward position. "I can talk to him if you want me to. To help in understand. I promise I will be more careful around him in the future."

"Walter. Stop apologising for kissing me." Paige urged him once again to calm down. "And definitely don't stop doing it. He was actually pretty okay with it all, even when I told him about our date tonight."

"He was?" Walter asked hopefully.

"Yeah, his only question was if he could come with us." Paige laughed.

"Oh, I don't want him to feel like I'm trying to exclude him." Walter said, worried. "Maybe I could make it up to him by taking him to the observatory tomorrow. I mean if it is okay we could all go."

Paige was struck by just how caring a man who had once insisted he had no feelings could be.

"That sounds great, Walter." Paige said with a smile. "I'm sure he will like that. Why don't you tell me when you pick me up."

"Sounds good." Walter replied and felt his stomach flip at the thought of their plans. "See you tonight?"

"See you." Paige said, her own stomach fluttering too. "I can't wait."

With a wide grin that still hadn't left her face, she ended the call and went about running her usual Saturday morning errands. Meanwhile at the garage, Walter started making the many calls to set his plans into motion.

The day passed slowly for them both as they watched their clocks, waiting desperately for them to say 7 o'clock. By five Paige couldn't wait anymore and started getting ready. She knew it was probably excessive but if you can't waste a ton of time to look perfect before a date, when can you?

She carefully styled her hair so it was a little curlier than normal and applied her natural looking makeup. When it came time to choose her clothes, Paige basically ended up emptying her entire closet onto her bed to try and find something. She had no idea where Walter was taking her so trying to find a outfit was frustrating to say the least.

She ended up deciding on a floaty blue dress she had bought ages ago but had never worn, paired with her favourite tan boots and a cream coat just in case it got too cold. Paige took a look in the mirror and decided she was happy with the full effect so she went out to fix dinner for Ralph.

"Ralph, honey." Paige called out to her son who was absorbed in a book on the sofa. "What do you feel like for dinner?"

"Mac and cheese?" Ralph asked, putting down his book and coming over to sit at the breakfast bench.

"Sure thing." Paige answered and quickly set about making his dinner.

Ralph sat watching her in easy silence.

"You look really pretty, Mom." Ralph spoke up as Paige set the steaming bowl of pasta in front of him.

"Thank you, honey." Paige said, surprised by her son's perception to how nervous she was. She kissed his head as he ate his dinner just as the doorbell rang.

"That will be Katie." Paige said as she went to answer the door for Ralph's sitter.

Paige invited Katie in and ran her through Ralph's night routine urged her to make herself at home. Paige had met Katie in her political science class last semester and as a freshman she was always looking for some extra work. Paige was pretty sure Ralph had a tiny bit of a crush on the her with her bright blue eyes and long blonde hair so he was always happy when Katie came over.

"Hi, Katie." Ralph said shyly as they came back into the kitchen.

It always amazed Paige at how far Ralph had come. He had gone from not saying a word to anyone but her, to talking to most people he met. The transformation was incredible and while Paige always knew he would be shy, the fact that he was becoming more and more comfortable around other people warmed her heart.

"Hi Ralph." Katie said brightly and started to clear up his dishes.

"Oh I've got that." Paige said as she moved to clean up.

"No, you're all dressed up and looking gorgeous." Katie insisted. "Who's the lucky guy?"

Paige laughed at Katie's young energy.

"Walter." Ralph answered for her.

"Cute genius, Walter?" Katie asked with a raised eyebrow. "Your boss?"

Paige couldn't help but giggle at Katie's description. She had only met him in passing a handful of times when she picked up or dropped Ralph off at the garage.

"Yeah, that Walter." Paige answered with an infectious smile.

"Ooooh, I might need details when you get home." Katie said with a sly grin.

"If you get home." She added with conspiratorial wink.

"Katie!" Paige chided, though she couldn't help but laugh and enjoy with the closest thing she had to a girlfriend since her life had become a lot more crazy but perfect when Ralph had come along.

They both heard the doorbell ring through their laughter and Paige quickly jumped up to grab her bag.

"I will be home by 11 at the latest!" Paige said pointedly at a grinning Katie.

"Sure, sure." Katie laughed as Paige turned to give Ralph a kiss only to find he had already bolted to the front door to see Walter.

"Hey, Ralph." Paige heard Walter say from the front door.

Paige rounded the corner and grinned as she watched Walter look up at her and freeze. He looked at her intensely, noticing as his eyes lingered on her.

"Paige…" Walter trailed of. "You ahhh… you look beautiful."

"Thanks, Walter." Paige answered with a smile.

"You don't look so bad yourself." Paige teased as she took in his typical dark blue shirt and dark pants she had always admired the slim fit of.

Katie cleared her throat as she joined them in the living room.

"Oh, hi." Walter said, trying his best to be friendly. "Uh, Katie right?"

"Yeah, hi Walter." Katie said, giving him a friendly smile.

"Well, we better go." Paige, ruffling her sons head. "Promise to at least try to go to sleep before I get home."

"Okay, Mom." Ralph groaned. Paige knew he would still be wide awake but it was worth a try.

"Sorry you couldn't come tonight, buddy." Walter said sincerely, kneeling down to look at Ralph. "I was talking to your mom and we thought we could all go to the observatory tomorrow. Or the museum, wherever you want to."

"Really?" Ralph asked excitedly, turning to Paige.

"Sure, honey." Paige answered. "I'm sure you and Katie could look up what exhibitions are on tonight and decide where you want to go tomorrow."

"Sounds good." Katie said. "How about we let Walter and your Mom go and get ourselves some dessert, Ralph?"

"Okay. Bye, Mom." Ralph said happily, always happy to go along with any plans that involved ice cream. "Bye, Walter."

They all said their goodbyes and Walter and Paige shared a quiet chuckle as Ralph went running after the pretty blonde.

They both walked out into the hall and Paige pulled the door shut behind them. She noticed that Walter looked a bit awkward, as though he was uncomfortable in his own skin and didn't know quite how to act. Paige took his hand firmly with the hope that he might relax and just be himself.

"So where to?" Paige asked.

"You'll see." Walter answered and led her out to his car, surprising her by even rushing ahead to open her door for her.

Paige sat in the passenger seat, watching the streetlamps fly by before she realised they were taking a familiar route.

"We're going to the garage?" Paige asked.

"I hope that's okay." Walter replied as his grin faltered, starting to second guess his plans. "I mean I ran through the possibilities; dinner at a restaurant, Santa Monica pier, and many other options but I figured it might be nice if things were more quiet."

"I'm sure whatever you have planned will be perfect." Paige reassured him with a gentle hand on his arm.

Walter just answered her with a smile, instantly relaxing. It was amazing that already Paige's touch no longer made him freeze, but rather quite the opposite.

Walter pulled his car into the back alley and quickly got out to open Paige's door for her.

"Thank you." Paige smiled as he helped her out. She felt the skin on her back warm where Walter placed his hand to lead her inside.

Walter led them up to the roof and Paige felt her breath catch when he opened the access door.

The first thing she saw was soft glowing blue and green light all around her. Paige couldn't contain a gasp when she saw what had to be at least a hundred jars scattered all around her.

"Walter, it's beautiful!" Paige marvelled, but her awe only intensified as she saw a small table set in the middle of the glowing circle.

"Just a simple mix of hydrogen peroxide and biphenyl oxalate." Walter answered, watching Paige's reaction closely. "Otherwise found in glow sticks."

"It's perfect." Paige whispered and she couldn't help but lean up to kiss him.

"I have to admit I had help." Walter said sheepishly. "Megan suggested candles but this seemed like a safer and more efficient solution considering I had to pick you up."

"This is so much better." Paige agreed, letting Walter lead her over to the table. He gently pulled her chair out for her, once again surprising her with his chivalry. She knew Walter was the kindest person she had ever met but she also knew that he wasn't necessarily aware of all the customs of dating. Paige had to wonder if he had interrogated his sister for more than just decorating advice.

Walter quickly went over to the grill where he had been keeping their prepared meals warm. He served out a beautiful dinner of grilled fish and sautéed vegetables and set it down on the table along with a glass bottle of chilled water. He had offered Paige wine but she didn't want him to feel like he needed to drink with her.

"Walter, this looks amazing." Paige said and although she knew he was a genius, she also knew his culinary skills were limited.

"Don't worry, I didn't cook it, you're safe." Walter joked and Paige couldn't help but laugh. She had suspected as much but she appreciated all his effort all the same.

It was so nice to see him more at ease. Paige had been worried that he might freeze up on her but she knew immediately that she needed to have more faith in him. He mightn't be entirely familiar with dating but he was trying so hard to make things perfect and he was better at it than he probably realised.

They ate and chatted comfortably as they ate. They talked about Ralph, Scorpion and anything that came to mind. The conversation stretched from one hour to two and neither of them really wanted to move.

"Hey, Walter?" Paige asked softly as they both finished their dinner. "Was this what you wanted for that business dinner?"

Her curiosity had gotten the better of her and she simply had to ask. She had thought as much when Walter mentioned he wanted to have dinner with her on Valentine's Day but his insistence that is was merely about work and the earlier stage in their relationship had made her doubt her intuition that maybe Walter had felt something for her even then.

Walter looked sheepish again and she knew she had her answer, and it made her smile wholeheartedly.

"Yeah i guess it wasn't the first time I used work as an excuse to be closer to you." Walter admitted. "I hate it when Toby is right."

They both laughed together because Paige hadn't been completely oblivious to all of Toby's ribbing over the last couple of months.

"Wait…" Paige said suddenly, realising what Walter had said. "Not the first time?"

"Oh, um it's nothing." Walter dismissed though Paige could see it clearly wasn't.

"Please, Walter?" Paige pressed.

"Do you remember when we went undercover to find that painting?" Walter asked.

"Mr and Mrs Gauguin?" Paige laughed. "How could I forget?"

"And do you remember the cloner? How it malfunctioned?" Walter asked further.

"Yeah it accidentally reset. We had to keep dancing." Paige remebered fondly.

"It wasn't an accident." Walter admitted quickly before he lost his nerve.

"I don't understand." Paige said, still unsure of what he was trying to say.

"I reset it on purpose." Walter clarified sheepishly. "So we could keep dancing."

"But you hate dancing, Walter." Paige said. "You even said so."

"I liked dancing with you." Walter so softly and sincerely that it made Paige's breath catch.

They shared a moment and Paige smiled at the knowledge that Walter had been caught up in feelings for her just as long as she had been for him. Her mind flashed back to her odd dream just before their case with Sima but she thought that might be a little too much honesty for their first date.

"Well you know." Paige said, getting up from her seat and walking around the table to take Walter's hands. "The advantage of dating is that you can ask me to dance any time you like."

Walter laughed softly as he allowed her to pull him to his feet.

"Paige, there's no music." Walter noted as Paige ran her hands up to rest on his shoulders.

"Well someone once told me I have a nice voice." Paige whispered close to Walter's ear as she pulled him close and began humming the tune the orchestra had been playing that night, recalling it with perfect accuracy.

She sighed happily as Walter took her hand and place the other on the small of her back. Paige noted with a smile that he didn't need any guidance with placement this time around.

They danced slowly for what seemed like forever with neither of them wanting to stop. The glow from the jars scattered around them seemed to dim and it was only when Paige thought about her son at home that she was able to bring herself to stop her slow shuffling steps.

Walter paused to look down at her though he didn't let her out of his embrace. They were so impossibly close together all it took was the slightest movement for Walter lean down and kiss her.

Paige hummed happily as Walter kissed her with more passion than he had before. Slowly at first, then building to where she barely knew where she ended and he began. It was slow, soft and perfect, surrounded by the dimming glow and still night air.

When he pulled away, Paige groaned in protest though she knew she should probably be getting home as much as she didn't ever want to leave.

"I should take you home." Walter said as he pushed a stray curl behind her ear. "We both know Ralph will be waiting up for you."

"That's true." Paige laughed though she was reluctant to leave the prefect bubble they were in, slowly dancing in the moonlight. It might be cliched, but Paige didn't care. It was perfect.

"Come on." Walter reluctantly urged as he picked up her bag for her and led the way back downstairs. He held her hand in his as they walked out to his car and they both got in.

As they set off Paige found herself wishing that Walter didn't have a stick shift car so that she could keep her hand in his. They drove back to her apartment in comfortable silence. He pulled up out front of her building and quickly came over to her as she was climbing out. She knew he was trying to be chivalrous but at the same time Paige wanted to let him know that he could relax around her.

Paige smiled as Walter his arm around her back as he closed her door for her. She was so happy that he had become so at ease with touching her because she honestly wanted him to never stop. Her skin warmed and her heart hummed whenever he touched her. Walter walked her up to her door and paused as they got to the end of her hall.

"Tonight was perfect, Walter." Paige said with a soft smile as she stopped and wound her arms around his waist, linking her hands behind his back.

"I agree." Walter said, smiling back at her and lifting his hand to brush her curls from her face.

Paige found herself leaning into his hand, humming happily at the contact. She leaned into his body, enjoying the contact and reached up on her tip toes to capture his lips with hers.

Paige did her best not to get too carried away with the kiss though it was becoming harder and harder to pull away with every touch. They were both acutely aware that Ralph was probably just inside the door waiting for his mother to return, despite all instructions earlier that evening to the contrary.

"Do you want to stop in and say goodnight to Ralph?" Paige asked as they reluctantly tore their lips away from each other and finished walking to the front door.

"Sure." Walter answered, his hand coming to rest on her lower back as she unlocked the door.

Katie peered up from the couch to great them.

"Hey guys, how was your night?" Katie asked with a grin.

"Very enjoyable." Walter answered simply and efficiently.

"Good to hear." Katie said, sending Paige a smile and a raised eyebrow.

"Walter just came in to say goodnight to Ralph since we all know he will still be up." Paige said, answering Katie's unanswered but exceedingly obvious question.

"He thinks I can't hear him on his computer in there." Katie said with a laugh as she got up to get gather her things. "I think that's my cue to leave though."

"Thanks so much for tonight." Paige said as she handed her a fifty. "I owe you one."

"Don't be silly, I love babysitting Ralph." Katie assured her. "It was nice to meet you more officially, Walter."

"You too." Walter said with a smile, trying his best to be friendly.

"Night!" Katie called as she left.

After they had finished saying their goodbyes to Katie, Paige and Walter headed to Ralph's room. They both noticed the telltale tenting of the duvet and the light filtering out from under it which meant Ralph was predictably still up and doing something on his computer.

"I thought I told you to be asleep when I got home, Mister." Paige said with a half-hearted scolding voice. She knew her son and Walter had let her know that insomnia was sometimes just an unwanted and unavoidable side effect of an over active brain so she couldn't be too mad.

They both watched with amusement as Ralph slammed the laptop lid shut and pulled the blanket down from over his head.

"Sorry, Mom." Ralph said as he realised that Walter was with her. "Hey, Walter."

"Hey buddy." Walter replied as Paige walked to her son's bed to take his laptop. "Did you have a good night?"

"It was okay." Ralph answered. "Katie looked up all the current exhibitions with me so that was good."

"Oh yeah, and what did you decide on for tomorrow?" Walter asked.

"There is a new aeronautical and space travel exhibition at the science centre." Ralph said excitedly. "Could we go."

"That depends on what your mom says." Walter said, turning to Paige.

"I think that sounds great." Paige assured them, pulling Ralph's covers back over him to tuck him in. "But if we are going to go tomorrow you need to go to sleep now. Deal?"

"Okay." Ralph said, lying back down. Sleeping was now the most efficient choice so he would be well rested for their plans the next day so he was finally happy to fall asleep.

"Night, Honey." Paige said as she kissed her sons forehead.

"Night, Mom." Ralph answered before turning to Walter. "Goodnight, Walter."

"Goodnight, bud." Walter said with a smile enjoying the easy domesticity of the situation.

Paige and Walter both left Ralph's room, turning of the light and shutting the door as they went. They both walked back out to the living room so they wouldn't keep Ralph awake.

"I really enjoyed tonight." Walter said genuinely.

"Me too." Paige answered as she wound her arms around Walter's waist again, pleased when he didn't tense at all beneath her touch anymore.

"So I'll see you tomorrow?" Walter asked, his hands resting on her neck to tilt her chin up so he could kiss her again. It was a pleasure he simply couldn't get enough of since he was granted permission.

"Mmmm hmmm." Paige mumbled against his lips as they broke apart.

"I should go." Walter said though he made no move towards the door.

"Mmmm hmmm." Paige giggled again as she reached up on her tip toes to kiss Walter again, this time much more fiercely than the last.

Paige grabbed the at his shirt, leading him over to the sofa where she pushed him down and immediately straddled his hips.

"Paige, I think…" Walter began through kissed though he couldn't quite bring himself to pull away completely.

"Don't think, Walter. Just kiss me." Paige breathed as she recaptured his lips with a ferocity that not even Walter could argue with.

Their hands soon began wandering as Paige pawed at the buttons on his shirt while Walter carefully began sliding Paige's coat of her shoulders. The room was soon filled with the sounds of soft moans and breathy sighs as they enjoyed exploring each other though they still had enough presence of mind to realise that they were still in the living room and a hopefully sleeping Ralph was just down the hall. As much as both wanted to tear off each other's clothes they knew that it wasn't the right time. In the meantime though, Paige was perfectly happy to rake her hungry fingers through Walter's hair as his hands tightly gripped her back, pressing her impossibly closer.

After a while their kisses began to slow and Walter finally found the strength to tear his lips from Paige's neck.

"I really should go." Walter said, surprised to find his voice come out at least an octave lower and significantly breathier than normal. "I don't want to but I should."

"I know." Paige groaned, resting her forehead against his.

Eventually Paige got off Walter to stand up and Walter quickly followed. The started walking to the door before either of them lost the small shred of self control they had left.

"Ralph and I will come around at about ten." Paige said, referring to their plans tomorrow. "Is that okay?"

"Sounds good." Walter said as Paige opened her front door.

Walter paused in the threshold to kiss Paige one last time.

"Goodnight, Paige." Walter said softly against her lips.

"Goodnight." Paige replied, sighing softly as Walter left and she closed the door.

Paige found herself leaning against the shut door, her mind racing through everything that had happened. The night had been completely perfect and Walter had shown himself to be quite the romantic, although albeit in his own special way. Her mind raced through the perfect date, their dance, the comfortable sense of family as they had both tucked Ralph in and she came to one inescapable conclusion...

She was already in love with Walter O'Brien.


End file.
